Sakamoto Castle

Sakamoto Castle (坂本城) was a Japanese castle in the town of Sakamoto in Ōmi.^[1]

History[edit | edit source]

Built by Akechi Mitsuhide in 1571 following the Siege of Mount Hiei, Sakamoto Castle served as one of his strongholds.^[2] When Mitsuhide was away from Ōmi, his nephew Kagemitsu was placed in charge of the castle, where he would govern from.^[3]

By 1582, Kagemitsu, like his uncle, was a member of the Shinbakufu, making him a target of the Kakushiba ikki.^[3] Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke, two members of the league, infiltrated the castle alongside Shōtei and Katsuhime of the Rokkaku clan to hunt down Kagemitsu. Yasuke managed to kill Gamo Yoshimitsu, Kagemitsu's retainer, while Naoe destroyed explosives at the armory before confronting and killing Kagemitsu.^[4]

After Kagemitsu's death, Naoe and Yasuke returned to the castle, eliminated the samurai daisho, and acquired the Ship Captain's Gear from the fortress' treasure chest. While there, Naoe climbed atop the tenshu to survey Lake Biwa and the castle's grounds,^[1] and Yasuke retrieved the Akechi Clan's kamon within the castle for Ōta Gyūichi in Yamashiro.^[5]